1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lift generating apparatus for travel in the air, an aircraft employing the lift generating apparatus, and a lift generating method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional lift generating apparatus for generating an upward thrust for aerial movement, particularly, for vertical aerial movement, employs rotors such as employed in a helicopter. The conventional lift generating apparatus employing rotors, however, has disadvantages that the rotation of the rotors entails dangers, the rotors generate large noises and the rotors are damaged easily by obstacles even when the rotors collide lightly against the obstacles.
Japanese Patent Laid-open (Kokai) No. 61-268597 discloses a lift generating apparatus which generates a negative pressure on the upper surface of a circular wing to generate lift by taking in air from the front of the circular wing by a turbofan to produce high-pressure air, guiding the high-pressure air through an L-shaped duct to the central portion of the upper surface of the circular wing, and jetting the high-pressure air radially from the central portion of the upper surface of the circular wing toward the periphery of the same.
This known lift generating apparatus, however, has disadvantages in that the high-pressure air jetted by high-speed airflows over the upper surface of the circular wing is dispersed in the atmosphere immediately after being jetted to become low-speed airflows. It is difficult to generate a sufficient negative pressure and hence it is difficult to generate a large lift, since the turbofan is unable to jet a sufficient amount of air.